


Hop Wins AU

by NeoAsh



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Champion Hop, F/M, Hop wins, I changed her name to Ashley bc that’s what I named my character, Look it’s Gloria as in it’s the female protagonist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21613234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeoAsh/pseuds/NeoAsh
Summary: There can only be one champion. Technically, there is only one champion, but these kids are gonna do their best to circumvent that inconvenience. Before that though, a boy and a girl set out together to defeat the undefeated. The girl wins every time they meet, and the boy sets out to get stronger. He gives it his all on the pitch, it’s his last chance to beat her, and he doesn’t waste it.Hop wins the semifinal and this changes things
Relationships: Eventual postwickshipping
Comments: 13
Kudos: 120





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who’s been emotionally destroyed by Pokémon sword! It’s me. Hop, my baby boy, is a bad rival because it feels bad to beat him. I want him to succeed. I also want to win, so I am going to write a fun story where Hop and the mc end up battling each other like every year and swap champion duty so many times that like six years in everyone gives up trying to remember which one of them has it this year. I’m talking multiple chapters. I’m talking shared glory. I’m talking about friendship and romance and telling our boy that he’s talented and wanted. Heads up if you didn’t read the tags the fem mc is named Ashley bc that’s what I name my character and it was easier to write that way- sorry if it’s distracting.
> 
> TLDR; I want to be the very best like no one ever was, but Hop deserves to win like the shonen hero he is. I attempt to reconcile these two things.

Hop was down to his last Pokemon. Ashley knew the only one left was his intelleon, so swapped her sentiskorch for rillaboom. This was it; she’d never lost to Hop before and didn’t plan to lose now. Just one round of Dynamax, a super effective hit, and the semifinals were hers. 

He got to throw his poke ball first but she wasn’t worried about the speed advantage, her rillaboom was fairly bulky- he could take the hit. Ashley waited for the max geyser. She heard Hop call max hailstorm. 

Oh no

She swiveled sharply to see Cosmo take the hit, “c’mon...c’mon,” she mumbled, watching as the giant grass type stumbled. Stumbled, then collapsed. Her eyes widened as she realized she had to pick a new Pokémon to throw out. In every battle with him she’s only ever needed rillaboom to take care of intelleon- when had it learned an ice move??- she had two Pokémon left but they’d both go down in one hit without dynamaxing and she knew it. Two left, not enough to stall until the Dynamax was over. 

She sends out solrock with a frown. It doesn’t last a turn, but does get some chip damage in with its rocky helmet. She feels the disappointment well up; a sinking, heavy feeling that spreads all over. 

She throws out Blaise, her beautiful sentiskorch, and waits for the end of her gym challenge. Amidst the water that falls from seemingly everywhere she spots Hop across the pitch. She sees the moment he’s realized he’s won for sure, and the disappointment that threatened to swallow her all but disappears.

He’s never beaten her once this whole gym challenge, he’s struggled and doubted and bounced back, and here when it matters the most he’s going to win it all. He’s wanted to have the chance to fight his brother on equal footing for years and he’s finally going to reach his dream. She should be upset, she was upset, but as her sentiskorch faints and Hop is declared the winner of the semifinal Ashley smiles; she’s so proud of him. 

They both approach the center to shake hands. As they clasp hands she looks him straight on and playfully says, “Good show, mate. Way to win when it counts.”

Hop looks at her like he can’t believe what he’s seeing. He looks so happy she wants to laugh, his smile is huge but his eyes are soft as he says, “I’m really glad you were the one here with me.” 

They meet up again in the stadium lobby. Leon is there, as larger than life as always, and there’s nothing but pride and joy in his eyes when they first settle on Hop. Leon spares Ashley a nice word while he’s talking, but she is content with him focusing his attention where it should be- on his younger brother. 

——

The reporters flock to Hop as they enter the hotel. He’s much more comfortable in front of the crowd than she would be in his place, and feels a little relieved that he’s won and not her. She’s watching him answer questions with ease with a little bit of awe when a reporter on the outskirts approaches her instead. 

“Challenger Ashley, Hop has named you his true rival. How do you feel after that battle? You look rather cheery for someone who just lost such an important match only minutes ago,” the reporter certainly didn’t say it loud enough to warrant much attention, but Hop whips in her direction like someone shouted right at him. 

She should probably be insulted, but she answers anyway, aware of Hop’s attention, “Oh, I’m absolutely gutted,” she says lightly. “Hop thrashed me fair and square though, and he deserved the win. I hope he kicks Leon’s ass honestly, I’ll be cheering him on for sure.” Ashley turned away from the microphone and walked confidently away toward the hotel elevator. 

“Where are you going?” Hop yelled after her. 

“Your brother invited us to dinner, yeah? Since you wanna go somewhere upscale I’m not going in my shorts.”

Hop stared after her for a second, another much too long second, and then declared the interview over- he has a dinner with his brother to get ready for thanks very much- and ran to the elevator.

——

Leon doesn’t show for dinner. Hop wants to go after him; Ashley offers to go with him. They both decide in the elevator that maybe anything is possible if they’re working together. Dinner that night is lovely even if it is rather late. 

——

The finals fly past. Bede is furious because he came looking to lose and still doesn’t think Hop’s up to snuff. Ten minutes later, Bede is reluctantly impressed and even more reluctantly apologetic. 

Hop beats the next three trainers with skill and grace and it’s a joy to watch him be invincible the way he’s always wanted. Nessa goes down, then Bea, then Raihan, and the crowd is on the edge of their seats as the champion approaches. The brothers only get the chance to glance at each other before the sky bleeds. 

Ashley is out of her chair before Chairman Rose starts talking. She practically flies down the rows of the stadium, doesn’t know how she’s going to help but knows it’s important she does, and refocuses just in time to catch Rose talking about the darkest day. 

Hop is looking from the chairman to his brother and back again in disbelief. He looks up at the sky and then sees you running toward him. Leon rushes away, but takes a moment to ruffle Hop’s hair and whisper “stay safe,” then he’s gone and Hop is frozen. 

“Hop,” Ashley whispers. Hop looks on at the sky. “Hop,” she insists. He takes a poke ball in hand and opens it, releasing his Corviknight. 

“The Slumbering Weald, right mate? Maybe we can find the legendary heroes.”

She takes the sword, there are people in danger and she wants to make the ones responsible pay. He takes the shield, there are people in danger and he will protect them with everything he’s got. 

Ashley beats Rose in a Pokémon battle, and then punches him in the face for good measure. 

Leon falls, and together Ashley and Hop summon zacian and zamazenta. Together they fight the monster. 

Hop catches Eternatus. The day is saved. 

——

One week later they’re back on the pitch. If Leon had his way this would’ve happened days ago, but Hop refused to battle him the day he was released from the hospital. When asked why Hop only replied, “my brother is a git if he thinks that taking the champion mantle away from him is more important to me than his health and safety.”

——

The night before the championship Hop is a right mess. 

“What if I make a fool of myself up there?”

“You literally saved the world like five days ago. Even if you lose, which you aren’t going to, it’ll still be an incredible match.”

“I had help when I saved the world! We saved the world! I had the legendary Pokemon there! You were there!”

“I’ll still be there tomorrow. I can’t help you fight but I’ll be cheering for you the whole time.”

“What if I worked my butt off and still can’t win? Ashley, what if I miss my moment? This is my chance to make my family proud-“

“Hop! They are already proud of you. You’ve come so far, and if nothing else Leon is super proud of you and still will be no matter what. And it doesn’t matter anyway because you’re going to win, so stop with the pessimism. It’s a bad look for you.”

“You’ve been saying stuff like that all week. It’s never ‘if’ I become champion. You always say ‘when’ and how are you so confident about this?”

“I’ve been right there with you every step of the way Hop. We’ve been friends forever and I know you. I feel it in my bones that you’re gonna win. Besides, just because I lost this year doesn’t mean I can’t try again, and when I make it here next year I don’t wanna fight any champion but you.”

Hop stops short for a few moments. He opens his mouth to respond and then closes it again. Paces a few steps around the room, then tries again. This process repeats twice before he faces Ashley and asks,

“You’re going to fight me for it next year?” She can’t tell what emotion he’s conveying.

“I’m going to fight you, you Hop, for it next year. The year after that you can fight me for it. I thought about it after you won and after the darkest day fiasco and I’ve decided that I still want to be champion, but I also want you to be champion,”

“Hate to break it to you mate but-“

“Shut up. I’m not done. You’re going to win tomorrow, I know it like I know the sun’s gonna rise. However, I also know that I can beat you, so next year I’m going to be so strong I’ll beat you for champion. There’s no limit to how many times you can challenge the champion, so you can take it the next year, and then I’ll take it, and then you, and eventually we’ll trade it back and forth so many times it’ll be like Galar has two champions.”

Hop’s face dawns in comprehension and he looks at her in something like wonder. She continues,

“You decided I was your rival, that we should push each other to be better, so I’m gonna kick your ass until you’re stronger than any trainer anyone has ever seen.”

“You’re absolutely mad,” he says softly. “I must be mad too though, because mate, that sounds like the most brilliant thing I’ve ever heard.”

Ashley grins at him. “It’s going to be great,” she states. “You have to become champion Hop first. I refuse to fight anyone other than my true rival.” 

They both grin at each other like liepards who’ve caught sight of prey to stalk, but Hop goes to bed smiling and settled. When he walks onto the pitch the next day one of the first things he sees is a ridiculously giant poster that says ‘Champion Hop’ and his best friend cheering her heart out. 

He meets his older brother’s biting banter with confidence. The battle is fierce, competitive, and rocks the stadium. Charizard is as ace as ever, and every mon on Hop’s team pulls their weight. No one doubted that Leon was an excellent trainer. After that day, no one doubted that Hop was much better by far. 

Hop cries as confetti rains down on him. His wish on a star came true and it’s the best day of his life so far.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two kids make their way home on the train. Hop learns a bit more about what it means to be champion. They get about a month before the region needs saved again

Hop is the champion. He can’t believe it, it’s too good to be true, but life goes on and he hasn’t woken up from the dream yet, so maybe it really is real. The day that he wins he attends a press conference and they ask dozens of questions. Leon throws a party that night and every gym leader he’s met along the way has something nice to say to him. The next day he wakes up and checks the news. He’s still champ. 

The most surreal thing was probably that everyone seemed to want to hug him. Leon caught him in a spinning sweep that lifted his feet off the ground. Sonia came around and hugged him hello before congratulating Hop on the win. He went home and his whole family was in an uproar to reach him. 

Ashley rode the train back to Postwick with him. Leon was still helping put Rose away for good, so for now it was just the two rivals making their way south. Hop was bouncing with energy for hours on the way there, but even he slowed down as they switched trains In Motostoke. They were the only ones in their car, Postwick and Wedgehurst were both small and it wasn’t often people needed to travel that way. Word hadn’t spread that the new champion was coming home that night, so Hop wouldn’t have to worry about being mobbed by anyone but his loved ones. 

They passed through the Wilds in companionable quiet. They stopped at the Wild Area station but neither moved. The train would be back on course in twenty minutes, and both were a bit jittery about reaching their destination. Hop couldn’t wait to tell his family all about his adventures, but Ashley looked nervous. 

He caught sight of her expression, asked, “What’s on your mind?”

“It’s silly. Don’t mind me,” she mumbles. 

“C’mon,” he prods. “Tell me tell me tell me tell-“

“Okay, okay, geez,” she’s stifling a laugh though, so he thinks it all right. She looks away before she says, “it really is nothing, I just...hope Mum isn’t too disappointed.”

She looks up at him and his expression is a bit wounded looking. She tries to correct, “I already know she won’t be, yeah? She’s just happy I went out on my own. It won’t matter that I didn’t cinch it. It won’t matter to her at all and I know that...” she trails off. What started off as reassurance faltered into quiet frustration. 

Hop decides very suddenly that he does not like her downcast expression. “Mate,” he tries. 

“It’s fine,” she says vehemently. “It doesn’t matter. I’m over the moon for you and the closer I get to home I’m still happy for you but maybe I’m realizing I’m not happy with myself, and I’m going to have to go home and tell my mum I lost and pretend I’m not gutted at all because she’ll ask about it and I’ve never wanted to move on and not talk about something so much in my life-“

“Breathe,” he instructs. He’s sure she’d work herself sick if he doesn’t cut her off now. He doesn’t know what else to do. When he was down he asked for a battle. She poured her concern into gestures and looks during the match, and by the time they were through he felt a little better. He also ran and didn’t talk to her when he was especially down, but she’s got nowhere to run, and a pokémon battle probably won’t help right now. 

He needed to stop before he worked himself into a knot. 

She tucked into the corner of her seat, side pressed against the wall and angled toward the window. Toward the window and away from him. He doesn’t know what to say. They must sit there for longer than he realized because the train starts moving. They both jerk out of their thoughts. 

“I’m all right,” she says, startling him. “I’m a bit down, but it’ll pass. I’m not embarrassed to lose to you, it just doesn’t feel great to fail. There was a lot riding on that match and I let myself down. I’ll get over it. Eventually.”

Hop wonders if he would’ve been able to lose that gracefully. He knows from that long night after the world almost ended that she thinks he’s been a hero all along and the deity in his box just proves it. He remembers from a conversation years ago that she’s a little jealous of his big house and big family; she used to wonder if he would still want to be friends with her if she wasn’t kind of his only option growing up.

Hop never asked if she still feels that way, didn’t even think to, but wonders if maybe he should have. He thinks of Piers’ sister Marnie and that boy who runs the fairy type gym now. He thinks of himself chasing after Lee. Somehow it never occurred to him that she might’ve had something to prove too. 

“Well, next year I expect you to beat me, so you better work really hard while I’m off having a champion time,” he exclaims, a little too loudly in the quiet train car.

She looks at him in surprise. “Beat you?” 

He falters, “I mean, that’s what you said-“

“I didn’t think you’d really want...I know I sounded confident about it but...you would have only been champ for a year, I thought you’d be upset if-“

“No! I mean, maybe, but I want you to try. I mean, otherwise I’m gonna have to fight some stranger or a gym leader to defend my spot and that doesn’t sound ace at all.”

She considers him. Then, she smiles slowly. Her eyes light up, a sparkle to them that Hop doesn’t think he’s seen before. 

“All right then, Sir Champion. I’m gonna be right there in Postwick helpin’ Mum with the wooloo. Maybe I’ll go fill my Pokédex to help out Sonia. The next time I set foot in Wyndon I’m going to step out as the new champion, and that’s a promise.”

They shake on it as the train pulls into Wedgehurst. 

——

Hop has to leave the next day. Ashley sees him off, then goes to ask Sonia what kind of Pokémon she’d like more data on. All in the name of helping a friend, of course, but she’s happy to build a new team in the process.

——

A month passes. Hop is doing well acclimating to the responsibility of the job; he talks to people, travels the region, really gets to know the place he’s now in charge of protecting. He tries to make sure Marnie and Bede are settling into their respective gyms, becomes good friends with Milo too. He finally understands why Sonia thinks Nessa is so cool; he still has not found what his brother sees in Raihan. 

He calls Lee with questions constantly about how to deal with the press, and the fans, and the problems he’s asked to solve. He also calls to ask Lee about his day, how’s the battle tower looking, how are their parents, the occasional “how does it feel to have free time? I can’t remember”.

He calls Ashley too, usually before bed, and she tries to keep him in the loop about things he can’t be there for anymore. From her Hop learns that she’s only twenty pokemon away from completing her dex. She tells him about how Sonia is doing with her research now that Magnolia has retired; that while Ashley helped where she could, Sonia had hired a new assistant just a few days ago. 

Ashley very quietly tells him one night that his mother hung up a picture of him in the sitting room at home. He doesn’t know how he feels about that. 

Tonight, as he reaches for his rotom phone to call Ashley, he’s surprised to see he has a message from her. 

••Hop, something doesn’t feel right. Tomorrow I’m going to go back into the Slumbering Weald. I don’t know why, but it feels like it’s calling me and I can’t help but investigate. I won’t be able to call you tonight, I’m flying to Circhester. I...never mind. It’ll probably be nothing, but if I end up missing check the Weald. Goodnight••

Neither one of them had ever ventured into the Slumbering Weald alone. He’s asked her before if she’s gone back, and he’s been informed that she’d rather not disturb the place. The fact she feels compelled to do so now worries him; really a fair bit more than he’d like to admit. 

Hop checked his calendar; he doesn’t see anything, but he’s sure he’s supposed to do something tomorrow. He can’t for the life of him remember what it is, but he’s sure it can wait- he’s got business in Postwick. 

He rushes through his bedtime routine. Postwick is on the other side of the region and he’ll have to wake up early to beat Ashley to the Weald. 

——

He asks Ashley’s mum if she’s home and is told she’d just headed out for the day. Hop makes his way through the Weald’s mist and dead ends and finally reaches the sanctuary. The space is just as quiet and serene as it was last time. Just ahead and faced away, standing under the arch with her head tilted up, is his rival.

Before he can say a word she turns around and faces him. He gets to see her tense caution melt into surprise. 

“Hop? What are you doing here?”

“What about you?”

“I told you,” she averts her eyes. “I felt like I needed to be somewhere today...like I needed to be here.”

“Like you needed to be somewhere today...? I think I understand.”

“Really?” She asks suspiciously. 

“Really! I’m glad to know you feel the same.”

Hop steps closer. Ashley moves to stand next to him, goes to say something, but they both startle when a loud noise interrupts them. 

It’s Sonia. “I thought I’d find you here Ashley. And Hop is here too, that’s a pleasant surprise! I bet I know what you two are doing!”

“Care to share?” Hop says, mostly because he does not know what he’s doing here exactly. 

“You’ve come to return the sword and shield to Zacian and Zamazenta, honestly you’ve waited quite a long time to get to it,” she says authoritatively. 

“Yes! Dead on, that’s precisely why we’re here,” he agrees much too fast to be anything less than suspicious. The look in Sonia’a eyes says she’s not buying it for a second, only confirmed when she replies, “of course you were,” with much more sarcasm than he thinks is warranted. 

They take out the rusted shield and the broken sword. They lay them together upon the altar, and give a heart felt thanks for the legendary heroes’ help. It was a solemn, yet very nice moment. It’s immediately ruined. 

They both defeat their respective weirdos, but the younger brother refuses to give Hop the shield even though he lost. Shielbert- really??- taunts Hop about how he’ll never be as big a celebrity as the two ‘royal’ brothers, then turns around and runs as fast as he can. Sordward looks confused for a blink, looks and sees Ashley winding up for a blow, and swiftly follows the younger’s lead. 

“I’m gonna knock them into week,” Ashley declares darkly. 

——

Hop and Ashley travel around the region to help control the chaos. Fortunately, they finally corner the weirdos; unfortunately it’s as they torment Zamazenta. She freezes but Hop moves, grabs her shoulder and yells, “The sword! You still have it, right? Call Zacian!”

“Right,” she murmurs. She takes the sword in hand and hopes. Zacian comes, Zamazenta flees, and Hop runs to give chase. Ashley and the Zacian lock eyes, and the legendary shifts their stance to engage in a battle. She could draw it out, put on a spectacular show, but enough pokemon have gotten banged up today. She throws the master ball and the crowned sword joins her team. 

Once she’s sure that Sordward and Shielbert are going to face consequences for their actions she sets out to find Hop. There’s only one place to look. 

——

Hop ran after Zamazenta as fast as he could. When it became clear that wouldn’t work he mounts his Corviknight. They fly next to the legendary as it makes its way back to the Slumbering Weald, Hop shouts encouragement the whole way there. He tells them how strong they are for resisting, how brave they are to come whenever anyone with the shield asks for help, how kind they are for making sure they don’t hurt anyone while fighting the evil influence. 

They get to the sanctuary. Zamazenta calms down. The pokemon then looks right at him, wills him to understand, and Hop asks, “Are you sure?” Zamazenta is steadfast, and Hop throws the poke ball. It locks the first try. Hop picks up the ball with reverence, and the next day Galar learns that the champion has a legendary hero on his team. 

——

Hop and his rival take a few minutes to decompress in the last of the sunlight. She asks him for a battle before he leaves. She wins. They part ways comfortable with the knowledge they’ve both got a lot of growing to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought the post game would take like two paragraphs to get to, and a few vague snippets to get through. I thought we would get to the part where they give and take the champion mantle. Instead this became way longer than I thought and we take a long detour to follow our kids on their way home. I spent that whole train scene trying to fit in a hug between Hop and MC, but it just never fit. They’ll get there, I promise, just gotta build that confidence first. That sweet sweet report
> 
> Also get wrecked Raihan


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gym challenge has commenced and the championship battle is on.

Hop’s first year as champion was finally coming to a close. It had been a steep learning curve, but he was enjoying every minute of it, and he tracked the sponsorship of new gym challengers with anticipation. 

There was apparently a lot to do behind the scenes during challenge season even though he didn’t get to battle anyone until the end. Logistics meetings were his least favorite. Setting up the trials in each gym was really fun; surprisingly, Ballonlea was his favorite stop because Bede’s challenge was new and exciting. 

They had used the bones of the theater to set up a test of will. Fairy pokemon would pull pranks and small spooks throughout the challenger’s walk to the arena. The path was really just a straight line, but the pokemon could turn you around and lead you down dead ends. If you kept your nerve and found your way the badge was as good as yours. 

In Hop’s opinion it was infinitely better than Opal’s quiz, not that he would ever say that. Bede gets very defensive of Ms. Opal and he’s mean when he’s offended. 

Aside from Ballonlea everything is the same as last year, and when Hop looks at the list of approved challengers his heart skips a beat. There’s her name. Just like last year, though he wasn’t the one with the champion spot then. She really was going to try and beat him on the pitch for real. 

In all honesty it was nerve racking. They had held three exhibition matches while he was champion this year and he invited her to participate in all three. The first time he beat her soundly, having worked hard after he lost in the Weald to get stronger. The second time she thoroughly trounced him, fighting smarter than she had the previous match. The third time was incredibly close, but he managed to squeak the win. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to do so the next time they fought. 

Hop really liked being champion. He’d fight as hard as he could to keep it...but if he did lose, how fun would it be to win it back now that he knows how much he enjoys it?

——

The year was up. It was challenge season and Ashley was actually going to do this. She and Hop had talked about it, she told him that she liked being his friend more than she wanted to be champion. She wasn’t quite sure if that was true but she was going to act like it was regardless. 

Honestly, she was excited. She’d put in hours of work searching the Wild Area high and low and she felt her efforts were about to pay off. Her first beautiful team, the team she took the semifinals and lost with, were stronger than ever. They’d spent weeks upon weeks perfecting their strategy until they’d creamed Hop in that satisfying second exhibition. 

They’d lost the third match by a whisker but she wasn’t worried. She had something else planned that Hop would never see coming; she had an entirely new team with different mons and type coverage and game plans. She’ll fight with her true blues until they win the semis. For the finals, she’ll bring her brand new team, and Hop won’t know what hit him. 

——

She enjoys getting to see all of the gym leaders again. Matches with the likes of Milo, Nessa, Gordie and Bea are fun and breezy; like battling a friend. Kabu battles like their already at finals and she loves it. Thrives on the competition. 

Bede has a nice new set up, she really likes what he’s done with the place and tells him so when she reaches the arena. The look on his face when he sees her is a complicated expression until he asks what she thinks she’s doing there. She tells him she’s got a score to settle with her best friend. He tells her he’s got one to settle with her first. She wins, of course, and he smiles at her. She can’t remember ever seeing him do so, and grins back after he tells her he’ll be disappointed if she loses again. 

Marnie is a joy to fight. Her brother is the only gym leader she ever had to retry because she came woefully unprepared. Even though she doesn’t make the same mistake with approaching Marnie, the match is closer than she’d had in a while. It’s fun but challenging, and she thanks Marnie for the good time-mentions that Spikemuth is really looking up. Marnie is cute as ever, and frustrated she can’t beat the girl she’d deemed her rival way back in Motostoke, but wishes Ashley luck. 

She reaches Hammerlocke Stadium again. Fortunately for Raihan he’s decided to go all out against her as a returning challenger. Unfortunately for him she’s put a lot of hours in at the battle tower and most of those were spent in doubles. His favorite format has become her favorite, and the battle is over so fast she almost offers a mulligan. 

Finally, she gets to Wyndon. She falls in love with the city as quickly as she did the first time. The long avenues, sprawling park and fast transport all thrum with energy. She can barely contain her excitement. 

——

The semifinals have Hop on the edge of his seat. He sees Angie from Motostoke wipe the floor with Cecil from Circhester. Both of the Spikemuth picks battle round one, and the one who wins beats Angie in a spectacular match. Taylor from Turrfield would give Ashley a run for her money if she was anyone else, but she isn’t, and secures the victory from them easily. 

The last match is about to commence. Miles from Spikemuth has put on an excellent show today, and Hop has high hopes for his future as a pokemon trainer. Ashley faces him from across the pitch; tells him that he’s done really well and she can’t wait to battle him herself. 

Hop can admit that the match is a good one. Both trainers swap frequently and use exciting moves that get the crowd roaring, but the set of Ashley’s shoulders is totally different from when she and Hop fought here the first time. She had been confident, but also nervous. Right now, she looked almost playful in her command instead of the ruthlessly determined and calculated efforts he’s grown used to. 

The battle takes longer than it really needs to, she’s trying to make Miles look good. Ashley has held a soft spot for all of Spikemuth since she met earnest and driven Marnie, increased when Piers trashed her team, and set in stone when both helped her and Hop ‘rescue’ Leon. Their battle does eventually end though, and she wins, and it sinks in that the finals are next. This time tomorrow it will be him standing across from her on this pitch. 

Hop asks her to dinner. She takes his hand and squeezes, then tells him to take out Miles instead. He’s gonna need a confidence boost after losing, she would know, and she’s got a team to get ready. 

——

Ashley is getting nervous. She’s excited to show off her never before seen battle team, but they aren’t tried and tested like her other one. What if they get nervous? What if the shift in atmosphere is disorienting, or what if they aren’t as careful and get hit when they shouldn’t? What if she’s the one that messes up- calls for a move they don’t know because she’s used to having someone else in front of her?

Logically she knows that everyone will be fine, herself included, but she still has a touch of worry run through her as she steps out of the locker room. 

——

Hop steps out of his prep space dressed and ready. He’s nervous, but confident in his own abilities and the ability of his team. He knows Ashley’s pokemon almost as well as his own. They’ve played together, camped together, battled countless times. This is a match he can win. 

By the time he’s psyched himself up for the championship bout Ashley is in the middle of her second battle out of three. He immediately stops short when he sees a chandelure on Ashley’s side of the pitch. That’s new. The chandelure goes on to win the rest of the battle. 

Hop watches all of the third match and gets increasingly disoriented. The flapple is new, the orbeetle is new too, and when did she start using an unfezant? He has no idea where any of these pokemon came from. Is this the same person? Maybe his eyes are fooling him and it’s not Ashley at all down there, because Ashley doesn’t use a milotic or a wheezing. By the time he’s being told he has to go down there he’s so gobsmacked he forgets to greet her at the approach and just stares. 

His face must show his utter confusion because she giggles. 

“Hey Hop. How’s the day been? Mine’s been all right, ‘bout to get better,” she says. Casual and unhurried, but the glint in her eye is down right mischievous. 

“Ashley,” he says. “Hey mate.”

“Hey there yourself. You ready to go?” She pulls out a poke ball and readies her wrist to throw. 

Hop snaps out of his daze right quick. It doesn’t matter what kind of team she brings, he knows how to battle and he enjoys battling her. 

“Let’s get this champion match started!”

——

They both do their best. The crowd is on its feet. The pitch is in shambles by the time they’re done with it. 

Ashley wins. Hop can’t help but smile at the stars in her eyes as she looks around in her own light daze. He grasps her hand to shake and says, “Way to win when it counts.”

She jerks him forward and pulls him into a hug. She wraps her arms tight around him, and after a beat he holds back just as fiercely. 

If she is shaking from the adrenaline, the other is nice enough not to mention it. Just like it goes unmentioned that he's squeezing a bit too tightly. They’ve both left their hearts on the pitch, and in the aftermath of the intensity they hold each other close; they do what they do best, support each other. 

They’ll pick each other up, and keep pushing, and move forward together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally wrote The Hug


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two dorks in love being very in love with each other. That’s about it, folks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...there is very little Pokémon content in this chapter. It’s just dumb romance, but I put Postwick shipping in the tag, and I designated this four chapters, so why not? Nothing better to do in quarantine

Being the champion is exhilarating. It’s exhausting. She’s having the time of her life.

Galar is beautiful, and she’s never been more aware of that beauty now that she’s representing it. That’s what she is now, a representative, for every part of the region. From the fields of Postwick, to the towers of Wyndon, all hers to look after. There’s no time for doubt and no room for error, and Ashley finds herself thriving. 

Hop keeps her grounded. When he thinks she’s crossed over the line from ‘working hard’ into ‘working herself into the dirt’ he’s there to push her into the couch and trap her in blankets until she’s too comfy to fight him. Sometimes, he bribes her pokemon into being uncooperative so she can’t do too much in one day. 

It’s nice. To be taken care of. She confesses to Hop one day that he’s kind of made her feel like a slouch, she didn’t do half as many nice things for him last year. 

He held her face in his hands and told her that she helped him plenty, they just need different kinds of things. Hop tells her that he doesn’t want her to feel like she isn’t enough, and Ashley pretends the words made her blush instead of how warm his hands were. 

——

Hop wins the next year. The look on his face is smug, unbearably smug, so she wants to wipe it right off his face. She thinks a quick kiss with her fist would show him not to look at her like that, but then the arena lights highlight his curls in a very handsome way, and Ashley thinks about other ways to get him to stop looking so smug. 

Impulse control is for champions, and she’s not one as of two minutes ago, and that’s why their first kiss is on live television in the middle of the pitch. 

She likes the look on his face right now much better than the previous expression. She likes it even better when Hop corners her outside and kisses her again. 

——

“We should talk about this,” Hop says when they get back to Ashley’s house. Well, it’s the champion house, so it’s his now. They’ll have to swap stuff this week. 

“Yeah,” Ashley says. “We should.” She doesn’t say anything right away though, just grins at him, and he can’t help but smile back. 

He’d been so surprised when Ashley kissed him after the battle. For all intents and purposes, Hop won today, but when she pulled away from him there was victory in her eyes. Hop had been shocked all the way to the locker room. He had brushed past everyone else in the building, felt he urgently needed to find her, to ask what that was about. 

Hop found her by the backdoor. She had perked up when she saw him and Hop felt his heart beat faster. She pulled him out the door and suddenly they were outside. Importantly, they were somewhere no one else was, and it was less important in that moment to ask why she had done it, and more important to see if she would do it again. 

Ashley waves her hand in front of his face and giggles when he startles back to the present. Hop glares at her. They eventually find some words to say, and the two of them stumble through agreeing to do more kissing in the future. 

——

Ashley wins the year after that. To the disappointment of the crowd, they manage to get through the handshake without any additional drama. 

After talking with the press, talking with their friends, and making their way through the crowds they finally make their way onto Hop’s couch. Her couch. Ugh. 

“Hey Hop,”

“Yeah, mate?”

“You should just stay here.”

“I thought I was already staying the night?” He sounds adorably confused. 

“No, I mean...” deep breath. “You should keep your stuff here.” It sounds nervous to her own ears. Bollocks. 

Hop stares at her. “Are you asking to live together?”

“ It just seems ridiculous,” she says flippantly. “That every other year we’re moving in and out of the place when we’re both here so much anyway.” There, now it’s about logistics instead of Ashley’s hopeless romanticism. 

Hop doesn’t seem to buy it for a second. Downsides of trying to get one over on your best mate, she supposed. He lays a hand on her shoulder. 

“If you wanted to move in with me, you could’ve just asked like a normal person,” he says teasingly. “I would have said yes.” He’s smiling at her and Ashley can’t help the relieved smile on her face.

“Yes?”

“Yes.” 

The house looks much better with two people’s worth of junk rather than just one. Full without being cluttered, warm and homey without feeling cramped. The night they decide that everything’s up to snuff is the first night since they’ve started dating that they share a bed. It’s not just any bed though, it’s their bed now. 

——

The first morning Hop gets to wake up next to Ashley takes his breath away. Sunlight is streaming from the window, her thievul and his dubwool are curled together next to the bed very cutely, and he started his day by running his hand through her hair. 

Hop thinks he might want to start everyday like this forever. He is definitely too young for that train of thought, but not too young to pull Ashley closer just because she’s close enough to reach for. 

“G’mornin,” she tries to say. It’s a little garbled, and Hop can’t help but smile at how cute she is when she’s just woken up. 

“Good morning,” he says. 

“You got a thinking face on, Hop. What’re you think’n about so early in the morning?” 

“That I love you,” he whispers honestly. “That I’m really glad about all this.”

“All this?”

“Yeah, sharing a bed, sharing the house...sharing the champion title. I’m just, really glad, love.” 

Hop has never seen Ashley’s eyes go so soft. Everything about her looks soft in the morning light against rumpled sheets. She shuffled forward and to peck him on the forehead, then pushes Hop onto his back so she can rest her head over his heart. 

“I’m really glad too, love. Now shush, I’m sleeping.” 

——

More years go by. He wins, she wins, then she wins again- the first time either of them has gotten it twice in a row. Hop holds onto the title twice in a row the next two years on sheer determination. 

Citizens in Galar start treating them as if they are both champion, just like Ashley said they would during that first train ride home. If there’s a problem, it doesn’t matter which one of them is called, issues get taken care of and people are happy either way. 

They travel to other regions. Occasionally, they go together, but usually the official champion goes abroad while the other one stays home. It’s a system that means Galar is never left defenseless. 

——

Ashley is getting frustrated. Hop has had two two-year streaks in a row. She’s falling behind, and she wants to pull off something spectacular to settle the score. 

It’s a random Tuesday evening when Ashley issues her challenge. She and Hop are eating curry in the park while their Pokémon run around. It’s a nice, quiet moment after a busy week for both of them. 

“I’m going to win the next three champion matches,” she tells him, easy as a comment on the weather. 

“Oh, really?” He raises an eyebrow at her. His voice has gotten deeper but the laughter in his tone is as clear as it’s always been. He’s older than Leon was when he was still called unbeatable, and yet Hop grins at her challenge like they’re kids and he’s still got anything to prove. 

“Yeah, you’ve got more wins than me and I don’t like it, so I’m going to win the next three.” 

“We’ll see about that, love.”

——

It’s been fifteen years since Hop became champion for the first time. He stood right here in this stadium and faced Lee on equal footing. He’ll never forget that first triumphant moment, but that day isn’t why he loves this pitch. It’s just one out of dozens of moments he holds close to his heart that have happened right here. 

The match with Ashley is about to start. She’s won the past two in a row, if she wins today she’ll be the first one of them to win it three times in a row since this game of theirs started. 

Hop really wants her to win. He’s not going to throw it, quite the opposite. Hop is going to give his absolute everything to this match. He’s going to push his team’s limits and himself to the breaking point. 

There are very few things in this world that Hop loves more than seeing his rival in the heat of an intense battle. Should he say rival? It would probably be better to say best mate, or his girlfriend, but the only label he wants to use is fiancée. He can’t say that yet, so for now, here on the pitch, she’s his rival because it’s the closest he can get to the depths of his feelings. 

Hop is going to ask her to marry him on this pitch. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve shifted their relationship right after a champion match. 

He wants her to win. Hop can’t think of a better occasion to ask than right after an ace victory. That doesn’t mean he’ll go easy on her, and he’s going to ask anyway, it would just be perfect if...he doesn’t want it to feel like a consolation prize.

Hop loves his rival so much. He loves her, and they’ve built such an impossibly brilliant life together. They’re getting older though, they’re proper adults, and Hop wants to build a family. With her. Hop wants everyone to know that the coolest woman in Galar is his to hold and spend the rest of his life with. 

——

Ashley is on top of the world. She panting, her hair is frizzy, and her eyes might have gone crossed for a turn or two there, but she’s just won herself champion for the third year straight. 

She doesn’t think her smile could be wider as she strides to the middle of the pitch. She sticks out her hand for Hop to shake, and he takes it, but then he switches the grip so he’s holding her hand like a knight would a princess. 

“Hop?”

He gets down on one knee. The entire crowd gasps, but Ashley doesn’t hear it at all. All of her attention is on Hop, on the hand in hers, on the free hand that reaches into his pocket and pulls out a box. 

“Hop?” She asks again, voice considerably more shaky. He looks her in the eye, sunshine grin in place.

“Ms. Champion,” he says, and she laughs a little helplessly. 

“Ashley. I love you. I love strolling through the Slumbering Weald with you while Zamazenta and Zacian play around. I love camping in the Wild Area and stargazing like we used to do in Postwick when we were kids. I love looking after pokemon with you, and helping people with you, and being champion of Galar with you. I want to spend my life with you, officially, if you’ll have me. Will you marry me?”

She’s crying. Oh Arceus, she crying and smiling so wide her cheeks will smart later, and there’s only one answer she would ever give him to a question like that. 

“Yes! Of course, love, yes.”

Hop stands so quickly she almost trips. He catches her, then kisses her so hard she ends up in a dip. 

She was wrong before; now she’s on top of the world.

——

The next year, when Hop finally earns the champion title back, every journalist in the lobby is addressing them as Mr. and Mrs. Champion. If a wishing star landed in front of Hop right now, he wouldn’t be able to think of a single thing to wish for. 

“I’m sorry,” Hop throws behind him as he and Ashley walk out the door. “My wife and I have an appointment to keep.”

“An appointment?” She asks.

“ With each other, Mrs. Champion, how could you forget?”

“Oh, Mr. Champion, I’d never forget you.”

“Really though, we might miss the flying taxi if we don’t hurry.”

“Well then, let’s go!” She takes his hand and pulls him along. Hop laughs as he follows his wife to the landing point. 

Hop had wanted to be champion for almost as long as he could remember, but he could never have guessed that champion life would this amazing.


End file.
